Sunil Chhetri will defy his earlier retirement decision to play again for the national team at 40.
In June 2024 Sunil Chhetri, former captain and fourth top men’s international goalscorer ever, played his final match for India during a World Cup qualifier.
Sunil Chhetri announced last year that his “instinct” guided him to step down after playing his final match against Kuwait before 59,000 spectators in Kolkata.
India head coach Manolo Marquez declared the return of the country’s most experienced player on Thursday for the upcoming March international matches.
India’s World Cup 2026 qualifying campaign has ended but they now aim to compete in the 2027 Asian Cup.
Securing qualification for the Asian Cup holds great significance for our team. Marquez explained that he spoke with Sunil Chhetri about returning to play because the tournament and upcoming matches needed him to reinforce the national team.
After his agreement we decided to include him in our team’s lineup.
India will participate in a friendly match against the Maldives on March 19 before their Asian Cup qualifying fixture against Bangladesh scheduled for March 25.
Football remains a challenging sport to establish itself within India’s massive population of 1.4 billion people because cricket continues to dominate the nation’s sports interests.
The former FIFA president Sepp Blatter referred to India as a dormant powerhouse in football. Chhetri stands as a sports figurehead in India where cricket dominates public interest.
The striker who stands 1.7 metres tall played his first match against Pakistan rivals in 2005 and scored the only goal for India.
Chhetri’s football journey took him briefly to Portugal and the United States where he remained unsuccessful before returning to India where he played most of his professional career.
Queens Park Rangers from England’s second division extended a contract offer to him in 2009 but he failed to acquire the necessary work permit.